Taking Care Of The Environment

Paul Poulton considers what initiatives are happening and what personal responsibility we should take.

Paul Poulton

I did some gigs in Cornwall England last week. In one venue (a local
pub) there was a dog in the audience. The dog's owner told me that his
pet liked the blues and occasionally joined in with the music with
some doggie singing.

I like Cornwall because of its relaxed feel and its enthusiasm for
nature. Cornwall was one of the first counties to install wind farms
to create electricity at a time when vociferous people treated the
innovation with contempt, pointing out that the miniscule amount of
electricity the windfarm contributed to the National Grid was so
insignificant that there was little point in having the blot on the
landscape. However, the UK's first commercial windfarm has now
produced enough energy to boil 3.4bn kettles since its development in
1991 and is now one of more than 1,000 onshore projects across the
country.

One of my Cornish friends took me to the Eden Project where I had a
chance to explore the largest indoor rainforest in the world. Here I
learned the staggering fact, that because ancient air bubbles trapped
in ice allow us to see back in time to what Earth's atmosphere was
like in the distant past, levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
are now higher (a lot higher) than they have been at any time in the
past 400,000 years.

Modern people, including me, want electricity on demand for many and
varied reasons, so it's good to see that 'people power' is generating
'prolonged power' by stirring governments and companies to invest in
ways of reducing this generation's, size 13, carbon footprint,
something future inhabitants of planet earth will thank us for.

Many countries these days have a clean energy policy, but overall the
world still relies on fossil fuels of which UN climate scientists say
that continued use of oil, gas and coal will have a "severe, pervasive
and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems."

One encouraging innovative idea that electric carmakers are exploring
is a venture entitled 'Vehicle-to-Grid'. In Denmark, Nissan is working
with a utility company and have installed special 'bi-directional'
charging points. Which means that while the drivers are not using
their vehicles' batteries, the grid can. So if a demand in power
arises, the multiple car batteries on its system will smooth the
fluctuating current out fairly quickly.

Utilising the power that is already 'out there' seems like a move in
the right direction.

Across the world there are still many people who have no access to
electricity. GOGLA - Global Off-Grid Lighting Association are tapping
into the huge market for off-grid renewable energy. They tell us that
since 2010 sales have increased by around 60%. Companies sell and
install solar panels, lights, and batteries to households in parts of
Africa and Asia. Customers can then use the energy stored in the
batteries for lights and other power needs. Prof John Goodenough, an
innovator and inventor of the lithium-ion battery, says humanity needs
to fundamentally rethink how it produces and stores energy.

The global population continues to rise and energy needs rise with it.
Encouragingly, climate change regulations have made a good effort to
curb our uncensored use of fossil fuels, generating the 2015 Paris
Agreement by nearly 200 countries on the need to cut greenhouse gas
emissions. But we can't in good conscience expect our governments to
do it all for us. My dad, who is now into his 80's, seems to know far
better than I do what items can be recycled and which cannot, I simply
place rubbish I'm not sure about on the fridge and my dad throws it
into one of the three designated bins.

However, I am aware that not everyone wants to take part in keeping
global temperatures 'well below' 2.0C (3.6F) above pre-industrial
times. Some people simply can't be bothered. And others have a reason:
"I don't believe all that environmentalist stuff, the earth's climate
has always ebbed and flowed." And some people attach a religious
significance to it.

I was staying with a Christian friend for a few days and I asked him
where I placed the empty plastic carton that I had just finished
pouring fruit juice from. "Throw it in the bin with everything else"
was his reply. I said "But what about recycling?" To which he replied
"We don't believe in all that." And I guess that some people, for
various reasons don't "believe in all that."

Some people use the excuse that the world is not anywhere near 400,000
years old so the data scientists use must be flawed. That seems to be
their conviction, but another way of looking at it is perhaps their
understanding of scripture is wrong and God expects us, as good
stewards, to take responsibility and do what we can to preserve His
earth. And the point of renewable energy is that despite the amount of
energy we take from the wind or the ocean waves, there is still the
same amount left for tomorrow, unlike fossil fuels.

Recycling and renewable energy is now a priority on many people's
agenda, whether it's McDonald's phasing out plastic straws or
Starbucks' promises of producing a 100% recyclable cup, or even
exercise equipment that uses the person's muscle power to create
electricity. We all have a part to play and if we don't play it then
we may find ourselves crying out as singer/songwriter Randy Newman
points out in his song 'I Think He's Hiding':

Come and save usCome and look at what we've doneWith what
you gave us

The opinions expressed in this article are
not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed
views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may
not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a
later date.

About Paul Poulton

Paul is a singer/songwriter, author and speaker. He records and tours solo and with his band, the Paul Poulton Project in the UK, US and Europe playing rhythmic and expressive songs. He has written four books including “Genesis for Ordinary People.”

Reader Comments

Posted by Karl in Stafford @ 20:21 on Apr 10 2018

I love the part about your dad sorting out the trickier
recyclables. The council should leave a Conundrum Bin for
things like crisp packets, bubble wrap, and cardboard cake
boxes that have plastic windows.

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